How-To: Sample to Psycho in Rapture

1). Load up any waveform in the Multisample/Oscillator slot. Assign two adjacent keyboard controls (sliders; joystick; touchpad; knobs;) to CC#73 and CC#72 in your controller. No need to utilize the MIDI Matrix just yet. These messages control Global Attack and Global Release over Amplitude in Rapture. They will affect all enabled Elements.

2). Play a few notes, and adjust those two controls. You can vary the attack from fast to slow, and the release from instantaneous to long. To my ears, it sounds like about a 2 second linear attack and 2 second linear release at maximum settings. In a single Element, this would be similar to a four-second Amp EG with three nodes:

Amplitude - #0/2 time: 0.0 tdif: 0.0 level: (variable from 0.000 to 1.000)
Amplitude - #0/1 time: 2000.0 tdif: 2000.0 level: 1.000 (sustain point: orange vertical line)
Amplitude - #0/2 time: (variable from 2000.0 to 4000.0) tdif: (variable from 0.000 to 2000.0) level: 0.000

Now this is cool enough in its own right, but note that you can have finer control over EG Attack & Release parameters per-Modulator [Pitch, filter controls; Pan, or Amp] and per-Element (or all Elements). You just need to select the appropriate Destination in Rapture's MIDI Matrix, along with a Depth & a Source to manage it. Now let's add the "psycho" part:

3). Click on the Pitch Modulator of your Element, and Set the Status to On of the Step Generator. Double-click on the Depth to bring the value to 1200 cents. Draw in any values into the 16 (default) Steps, or right-click and choose Randomize Steps. Press "P" on your Qwerty to bring these values to logical values or discrete pitches. Note that cycling through "P" four times convinces Rapture of a different "logic".

OK, so now the patch is getting a little more "psycho", but that grows tiresome in short order. So open up the MIDI Matrix (third icon of 4), and we'll adjust that with some Matrix control. Keep those Global controls handy, because we'll soon be using those again.

4). In the first three slots of the MIDI Matrix, enter the following lines:

Slot 1
Source: Keyboard Gate
Destination: Pitch StepGen Depth 1
Depth: -1200
Smoothing: 0.0

Slot 2
Source: Alternate
Destination: Pitch StepGen Smooth 1
Depth: 200.0
Smoothing: 0.0

Slot 3
Source: Velocity
Destination: Pitch StepGen Freq 1
Depth: -1.0
Smoothing: 3.0

Now bring up that Global Release control (the one assigned outside the Matrix to CC#72), and vary the Global Attack one [CC#73] to taste. Played notes will sound "normal", until you release the keys. Slot 1 in the Matrix causes the Pitch StepGen to kick in, but only after you release your hand from the keyboard. Slot 2 causes the StepGen to vary from a set of hard pitches to a portamento-like effect. It will alternate between these two states on every other played note.

Slot 3 isn't doing a thing at this point. The default StepGen parameters have it at a Sync setting of 4. We'll change that behavior with a quick click:

5). Tap both of your left & right mouse buttons simultaneously on the Sync setting of 4, and it'll shift to the default Freq setting. If it lands on 0.00, increase the Freq value to 1.00 Hz.

Now Slot 3 of the MIDI Matrix causes the rate of the Pitch StepGen to drift slowly from 1.00 to 0.00 over the span of your Global Release time. The rate of "drift" is controlled by the Smoothing setting and how hard (quickly) you hit your keys. It's revealed by the length of the release, as are the other modifications in the MIDI Matrix. Keyboard Gating over Depth flys everything in after the sustain/release point.


One more quick programming trick for general use before we close this out. If you like a particular Modulator (like our simple StepGen here), and would like to apply it to another patch, check this out:

6). Right-click on a Modulator, and Copy Envelope, Copy LFO, Copy Keytrack, Copy StepGen, and/or Copy Steps. Or simply Copy Modulator as a whole. Alternately (or additionally), go to E1-E6 and Copy Element. Now these are all in the clipboard "holding area", and you can load another Program patch, or even Initialize Program. As long as you don't close out your host application, these are all waiting for you for Pasting into the same instance, or another instance of Rapture later on.

and if you dont have a controller?

and if you dont have a controller?

Sean, for the Source settings in the MIDI Matrix (Keyboard Gate, Alternate, and Velocity), you don't need a controller. They all work off properties contained in notes; it doesn't matter how they get in. The Global Attack & Release controls are easy and handy. They made it into to Dimension Pro as well. For those, you can just substitute a regular Amp EG with a little release (as well as draw in the automation). Add two nodes.

To make this patch less 'psycho', leave out the randomized entries in step 3). Just right-click and select a Snap to 12, and draw in perfect fourths, fifths, and octaves in the Pitch StepGen. This is a simple .prog for mousers & keyboardists alike.

I will just have to be a little more creative pulling those darker sounds out of it

Here's a quick recipe for Rapture Dark:

1). Combine six Elements with whatever oscillators you have in the 'frig. Stir them with Transpose & Tune, and roll them flat with Ring Mod & Detune.
Mix it up with some Multi, and slap in some Ring Modulate Previous Elements.

2). Sprinkle liberally with Pitch LFOs & EGs, and add some finely-chopped Pitch StepGens. Garnish with delay line FX. Serve cold.

With a handful of sine waves, this'll make A Clockwork Orange sound like the Disney World parade.